Jennifer Kayes of Cornerstone Church is pictured above with the First Place Award for the First Annual Community Gingerbread Village Competition, which was hosted by the Marion County Public Library. (From the 1-10-18 newspaper)

From the Oct. 24, 2018 issue of The Journal
Landry Whaley and Emily Campbell celebrate advancing to the Championship
Tournament. (Photo by Sheila DeVane) Schley County beat Hawkinsville in the Sweet 16 of the State Softball Tournament.

From the Nov. 7, 2018 issue of The Journal
All 159 counties in Georgia have a local Family Connection Partnership that is funded by the state. On November 15 that number will drop to 158, with Marion County being the only county in the entire state without the service.
Robyn Crittenden, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS), recently informed local officials that the contract will be terminated “for cause”.
The state supplies $50,000 per year to the local Family Connection, which in turn is expected to coordinate all available resources in the community to achieve goals designed to improve the lives of children, families, and the community, while also coming up with solutions to meet local goals.
Basically, there are many different government programs and agencies that offer a wide variety of services to communities, and Family Connection is supposed to “bring everyone together” to make sure the community takes advantage of all those resources.
Ironically, Kevin Brown, the Executive Director of Marion Co. Family Connection, believes the inability of local officials to “come together” is what led to the drastic decision by the state to pull the plug on the local partnership.
“It’s definitely a personal vendetta from a City Council member,” said Brown, who declined to comment on the reasons for the personal conflict. He added that the crisis also “stems back to the drama last year with City Council.”
Officially, the state’s reason for the decision is that the local Family Connection fell under a corrective action plan after the state made repeated attempts to provide technical assistance and training. It then failed to meet multiple requirements of the plan.
However, the state’s official action plan also gives the following as a reason: “Also, local circumstances within the collaborative as well as in the community and the subsequent responses by MCFC have undermined their ability to safeguard the integrity of the local collaborative itself and the statewide network of Georgia Family Connection.”
(For the full story, visit www.tjournal.com and see the Nov. 7, 2018 newspaper.)

From the Jan. 31, 2018 issue of The Journal
(UGA Coach Kirby Smart is pictured with SCHS Coach Darren Alford)
It’s not every day that a black helicopter lands on a Class A football field. When the person who steps out of it is the head coach of one of the hottest Division I university programs in the country, it’s even more rare. That’s why there was an abundance of excitement in Ellaville when University of Georgia Head Football Coach Kirby Smart touched down at Schley County High School to do some recruiting. In addition, rival Head Coach Will Muschamp of the University of South Carolina and an assistant coach from North Carolina State showed up, too, making it a historic day for the Wildcats.
The main reason for the Coach Smart’s visit was college prospect Zykevious Walker, a Wildcat sophomore. However, NC State Defensive Line Coach Kevin Patrick also wanted to meet another local sophomore – Archer Hathaway. They also spoke with various other players during the visits.

From the Nov. 14, 2018 issue of The Journal
Marion County based Five Point Berries was a big winner in the recent Georgia Trustees Wine Challenge, which is one of the largest wine competitions in the Southeast. The local winery’s 2018 Fade Away not only received a Gold Medal, but was also selected for the prestigious “Monarch Award” for the Best Fruit Wine. Co-owner Sterling Messer is pictured with the award.

From the Nov. 7, 2018 issue of The Journal
The Schley County High School varsity boys team won the Third Place Trophy in the State Cross Country Championship Race on Nov. 3 in Carrollton. Such an outcome is quite an accomplishment for any team, but it’s even more impressive when considering this team’s youth.
“We are a very young team,” said Coach Gabe Theiss. “We only had one senior boy out of 18 team members. Of the seven who ran at State there is one junior, five sophomores, and one freshman. We are very young and they are hungry to get back to Carrollton and compete again in the future. The future is bright for this boys team.”
In the State Championship Race they had four of the top 20 runners out of the field comprised of 110 of the best runners in the state.
They were led by freshman Dustin Howard, who finished 16th overall with a time of 19:36. Also scoring were sophomores Tucker Welch (18th, 19:42), David Williams (19th, 19:44), John Lightner (20th, 19:45), and Aaron Pinckard (31st, 20:05). Their 1-5 split of 28 seconds was the lowest of all teams, by far, showing their depth.
The team was also well represented by junior Daniel Iordanov (40th, 20:28) and sophomore Dylan Abair (47th, 20:46).
“We had some cramping from one of our top runners and could have finished higher, but overall I am very proud of all they have accomplished as such a young team,” added Theiss.
Schley County finished behind only state champion Georgia Military and runner-up Commerce.

From the Oct. 10, 2018 issue of The Journal
Richland native Mike Blanton and supporters have once again carried out a huge fundraiser for the Stewart Webster Cancer Fund. As usual, it was a fun event – Mike’s Cancer Crusade is an annual motorcycle ride taken by Blanton (sometimes joined by others, this time Beverly Pantone and Mike McDonald). They raise money for the miles they ride, while raising awareness all along the way.
When they return to Richland, the community joins in for a big celebration and tallies up the funds raised – this time it was an impressive $17,719 and all of the proceeds benefit cancer patients in Stewart and Webster counties.
This year’s event had one BIG surprise. In addition to celebrating the fundraiser, everyone who turned out to Richland City Annex to welcome the riders back on Saturday, Oct. 6, also celebrated a surprise wedding between Mike Blanton and Beverly Pantone (now Blanton).
The Stewart Webster Cancer Fund is used to support cancer patients in a wide variety of ways, from gas cards to help with travel expenses to treats for patients and family members, to helping with treatment or hospice. So many families are affected by cancer and so many are helped each year by the special fund.

From the Nov. 20, 2018 issue of The Journal
Universal Music Group Nashville has signed singer/songwriter Caylee Hammack. A native of Ellaville, Caylee moved to Nashville at age 19 and talked her way into gigs on Lower Broadway at night while trying to break into the songwriter community during the day.
She signed a publishing deal in 2016 with Universal Music Publishing Group as the youngest writer on their roster and went on to win the ASCAP Foundation’s Sammy Cahn Award, which is given to a promising and aspiring lyricist. She received the award for the lyrics of “Too Late to Turn Back”. Past recipients of the prestigious award include John Mayer and Lori McKenna. She is represented by Red Light Management’s Mary Hilliard Harrington and Jay Williams/Joey Lee at William Morris Endeavor.
To commemorate signing her first record deal, Caylee used an antique quill pen originally used when her grandparents signed their marriage certificate over 50 years ago. Known for her mix of clever lyrics and haunting melodies, Caylee is currently in the studio working on her debut album.

From the 12-19-18 issue of The Journal
The Marion County Commission honored two outgoing commissioners, approved a bid to repair one well, excitedly reported that a long-awaited solution for the “new” well has been found, discussed code violations/enforcement, voted to buy a dump truck, and discussed various other items during its recent monthly meeting.
Outgoing Commissioner Larry Ogan and Commissioner Cecil “Butch” McMickle were both presented with plaques for their service on the Commission. Chairman George Neal thanked each of them for their dedicated service over three terms (Ogan) and two terms (McMickle). They both noted that it was an honor to serve and that they believe the county government is headed in the right direction.

In spite of cold weather, more than 500 people turned out for the first
“Pasafest” festival held in November at Buena Vista’s folk art site of Pasaquan. The event highlighted cultures of the Southeast
and, of course, this history of the late Eddie Owens
Martin’s Pasaquan. (From the 11-28-18 issue of The Journal)

From the Dec. 19, 2018 issue of The Journal
The Americus Office of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Richland Police Department recently announced the arrest of Kendrick Keon Scales, 29, of Richland on charges of felony murder and aggravated assault in a local death from this past summer.
Scales allegedly murdered fellow Richland resident Johnny Alfred Jones, 65. Jones was found deceased at his home located in the 200 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Richland on July 11.
The Richland Police Department responded to a 911 call regarding the death of Jones at approximately 9:30 p.m. on the date of the incident.
After processing the scene, conducting several interviews and examining evidence, Scales was charged for the crime. The investigation regarding this incident is still ongoing.
The GBI did not release information about the cause of death or the suspected murder weapon, “due to the investigation still being ongoing,” according to Terry Howard, Assistant Special Agent in Charge.

From the Oct. 17, 2018 issue of The Journal: Stewart County Schools have now offi cially launched, “Get Lit!”, a comprehensive literacy program designed to include every household in the county. Pictured are: School Board member Thereatha Redding, Elementary/Middle School Principal Viola Fedd, State Representative Gerald Greene, School Superintendent Dr. Valerie Roberts, Family Connections Coordinator Edwina Turner, Columbus Technical College President Lorrette Hoover, and Literacy Grant Specialist Bari Geeslin.

From the Nov. 28, 2018 issue of The Journal
A man originally from Taylor County is suspected of being one of the most prolific serial killers in United States history. Samuel Little, 72, is currently serving three life sentences in California after being convicted of murdering three Los Angeles women.
While in prison, he has been confessing to many more murders. Investigators say in some cases he has provided information that leads them to believe he is telling the truth.
Little reportedly left Taylor County (Reynolds) as a child and grew up in Lorain, Ohio. As an adult, authorities believe he drove across the country, shoplifting in the day and selling stolen goods at night. He is also believed to have often sought out women at night and was a violent predator.
He could be tied to as many as 90 murders across numerous states and has reportedly confessed to murders in Georgia, Texas, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Illinois, Ohio, California, Indiana, Arizona, New Mexico, and South Carolina.
While on the murderous spree, he was arrested more than 50 times in many different states, but the arrests were not for murder and he didn’t stay locked up for long periods.

From the Dec. 27, 2018 issue of The Journal
By Richard Harris
It appears that the Schley County Board of Education will soon be looking for a new superintendent. According to an article in Tifton Gazette, Schley County Superintendent Adam Hathaway is poised to become the new Tift County Superintendent.
The Tift County Board of Education voted to name Hathaway as the sole finalist for the school superintendent position on December 19.
State law requires boards of education to name finalists for the superintendent position before officially hiring a new one, which is done to give the public ample opportunity to be involved in the process. However, it is not unusual for boards to decide who they want to hire and then name that one person as the sole finalist, as is the case here.
Therefore, Hathaway appears certain to be officially named as the new Tift County superintendent after the 14-day waiting period.
“I have really enjoyed my time here in ‘The SC’ and really look forward to the next chapter in my career,” said Hathaway.
The details of when he will wrap up his duties at Schley County and start working in Tift County are yet to be worked out by the respective boards of education. The next meeting of the Schley County Board of Education is on Thursday, January 17.
Hathaway was quoted by the Tifton Gazette as saying: “My family and I are looking forward to becoming a part of the Tift County community. I am excited about the future of Tift County Schools and can’t wait to officially become a Blue Devil.”
Hathaway was named as the Schley County superintendent in 2014. Schley County schools have posted excellent academic figures during his tenure. The athletic programs have also shown improvements.
The Schley County School System has received a number of awards during his time at the helm. Most recently the Schley County Board of Education and Superintendent Hathaway were selected as one of the state’s finalists for the Georgia School Board Team of the Year Award.
“I’ve been very, very blessed to have a phenomenal board that works together as a team,” said Hathaway.
Prior to coming to Schley County, Hathaway was the principal of Gilmer High School, a Class AAAA school in the North Georgia town of Ellijay (population around 28,000). He has also taught and coached in Cook, Berrien, and Ben Hill counties, and had administrative duties in White and Gilmer counties.
Hathaway is a graduate of Clinch County High and joined the US Army after graduation, serving in the 101st Airborne Division. He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English education from Valdosta State University and has a specialist degree in educational leadership, also from Valdosta State.